30 years of Headwater

We’re so excited to be celebrating the very special occasion of our 30th anniversary. We’ve come a long way from a team of husband and wife studying maps of France into the early hours to plan the very best walking routes, to building our range of walking, cycling and snow holidays to destinations throughout Europe and reaching as far as Bermuda, the French Caribbean and Cuba!

So, has much really changed?

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Creating handcrafted holidays since 1985

The Headwater concept dates to a family holiday in France when husband/ wife team, Richard & Christine Bass, uncovered a gap in the niche travel market. A few months later, their first brochure - offering walking and canoeing holidays - was launched. It was based very much around the sorts of things they enjoyed doing on holiday, and key 'hallmarks' like handpicked, high quality hotels, excellent regional cuisine, interest-packed itineraries, plus freedom and flexibility, were established. Twenty eight years on, and I am proud to confirm that these core attributes remain at the heart of every single Headwater holiday.

Over the years, and largely in response to customer feedback, we have significantly expanded both our range of destinations and activities. Today we offer over 150 walking, cycling and canoeing holidays in 30+ countries worldwide, as well as an exclusive on-line Snow Collection. The UK team now comprises 25 people in our Cheshire offices, with many more overseas, and although Richard & Christine decided to retire a number of years ago, most of the staff have been around for more years than they care to remember! (Our Sales team alone have a combined knowledge of almost 70 years).

But none of this would have been possible without the support of our loyal customers and, as we reach our 30th anniversary, I would personally like to thank you for making Headwater the first class company it is today. In 1991 when I joined, the focus was, and still remains today, the customer. We continue to listen very carefully to your valuable comments, and act on them, and this will remain my priority throughout 2015 and beyond.
Going forward, our tried and tested formulae will be rolled out to new and exciting destinations as we unveil in-depth appreciations of the different countries and cultures in which we operate. High quality accommodation, fine food and wine, expert guides/leaders/representatives and totally flexible travel options will remain key, with the importance of people never understated.

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Many of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate